


Or Something

by ScarletPhoenix



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean/Cas Big Bang Challenge 2013, Kid Fic, M/M, Past Character Death, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-28 22:54:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/997876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletPhoenix/pseuds/ScarletPhoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The past year of Castiel Novak's life is definitely the worst. His brother dies, leaving him with custody of his young niece, Claire, prompting his long term boyfriend to leave him. But everything starts looking up when he moves in next door to single father, Dean Winchester.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Or Something

**Author's Note:**

> First, I'd like to thank the wonderful Rainy for putting up with me during this fic, and for beta'ing, and I'd also like to thank Deedee and Ashton for dealing with me too (Particularly Ashton since I was working on this during our beach trip.). Second, I'd like to thank my amazing artist, minions4pie, who's absolutely adorable art can be found [here](http://minions4pie.livejournal.com/2578.html). It was really a pleasure working with you!

Castiel pursed his lips, looking at the chipped plate he had just pulled from one of the boxes on the kitchen counter. Claire was quietly eating a sandwich at the bar, watching him with big blue eyes.

“Uncle Cas, I don’t like it here,” she mumbled. Castiel sighed, setting the plate aside and walking over to his niece to sitting beside her at the bar. 

“You’ll learn to, Claire, I promise,” He assured her. “I know it’s a big change, and I know you didn’t want to leave your school and friends, but you’ll make new friends, and I guarantee you that you’ll like it here just as much as you liked it back home.” Claire gave him a skeptical look, but said no more. Castiel leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. 

The doorbell rang. “There’s someone at the door,” Claire stated. Castiel stood up and went to answer it, slipping around boxes and furniture in the wrong places. 

A man and child stood on the front stoop. The man was a bit taller than Castiel, with short winter blond hair and bright green eyes. He was gorgeous, every bit the type Castiel would normally go for - but the type Castiel normally went for just got him in trouble. The girl was very obviously his daughter, blond hair held back in a sloppy braid, and a tray of cookies carefully held in her hands.

“Hi, my name’s Emma and this is my daddy. We made you cookies,” the little girl said with a big smile, holding out a plate of cookies. The man beside her smiled.

“Dean Winchester,” He held out a hand. Castiel shook it.

“Castiel Novak.” Cas replied.

“We live next door. Just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the neighborhood.”

“Thank you,” Castiel smiled, taking the plate from the little girl, Emma. He felt a gentle tug at his pants leg, and looked down at Claire. “This is my niece, Claire. Claire, this is Dean and Emma Winchester, they live next door.”

“Hi,” Emma smiled big. “Do you wanna play?” 

“Emma, sweetie, I’m sure they want to settle in.” Dean said quickly.

“No, it’s fine,” Castiel smiled, patting Claire’s back. “Claire, why don’t you go play with Emma?” Claire was quiet for a long moment, before nodding. She slipped past him and took off running down the front yard with Emma. Dean smiled at him nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“I guess I’ll see you around?” 

“Yes, I guess you will.”

  
***  


“So, how did things go with our new neighbor, brother?” asked Benny, sprawled out on the couch, drinking a beer.

“He’s hot,” Dean declared, plopping down in the arm chair. “Like…whoa. He’s got these eyes that’re like…really blue.”

“You’ve always had a thing for those baby blues,” Benny said. “Does he have a wife?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Divorcee?”

“The kid’s his niece.” Benny gives him a knowing smirk, and Dean is sure that Sam will be hearing about how he’s got a boner for their new neighbor, and Sam will definitely nag him about acting on said feelings. Sam was always on his ass about dating again. Lately Benny and Emma had been getting onto him about it too. But dating wasn’t his strong point. Before Emma, he hadn’t really dated. He’d only had hook ups and quick flings. Then Emma had come along, and he really couldn’t afford to have random hook-ups. He’d tried actually dating, but it just never seemed to work. 

“So, no wife?” Benny clarified.

“Benny, that isn’t going to happen,” Dean declared. Benny rolled his eyes. 

  
***  


Castiel leaned against the counter of the coffeehouse, listening to the loud hissing noises of the espresso machine. Today was his first day at his new job. He’d found work with a local law firm, close enough to his and Claire’s new home that he’d be able to manage work and her without shelling out the money he didn’t have for after school care.

“Perk up, little bro,” Gabriel declared, leaning against the other side of the counter and holding out the paper to-go cup. “You can’t be in a bad mood on your first day!”

“I’m not in a bad mood, Gabriel,” Castiel sighed. “I’m just tired. This last year…”

“It’s been stressful, I know,” Gabriel reached across the counter and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “But hey, it’s all downhill from here. Claire and you are finally settling into this whole situation. And it looks like that piece of crap car of yours didn’t give out this morning. Gotta see the bright side, Castiel.”

“No, thankfully,” Castiel nodded, taking a slow sip of this coffee.

“Told you to get a better one. But you were all like _‘Gabriel, this one works just fine.’_ ” Castiel sighed.

“Next time I go shopping for a car, I will listen to your superior expertise,” Cas rolled his eyes.

“As you should,” Gabriel smiled smugly. “Now, you’re gonna go to work, and make some new friends for yourself. Maybe bag a hot-shot lawyer?” Castiel rolled his eyes.

“Gabriel, it is unwise to date work acquaintances.”

“Then maybe you’ll meet some hot single dad at a PTA meeting or some shit.” Castiel gave a bemused huff. “Or maybe you already have? That's a family neighborhood, bet you've got some good looking neighbors.”

“I’m going to work now, Gabriel.” Gabriel gave an exasperated sigh. 

  
***  


Sam worked at a small time law firm about forty-five minutes away. Dean was proud of his little brother for making it through law school, especially after all the shit with Ruby. Dean hadn’t liked Ruby one bit, and she had quickly proven that that dislike was completely warranted. But that was all in the past. Sam was all good now, and honestly doing a hell of a lot better than Dean was.

“It’s your day off, Dean,” Sam said, smiling fondly when Dean strolled into the office with a bag of take out from their favorite diner.

“What am I gonna do? Sit at home with Benny all day?” Dean asked, plopping himself down in one of the chairs in front of Sam’s desk. “Emma’s a school, I’ve already got the grocery shopping done, and Benny does the laundry on his day off. What else is there to do?”

“Well, Benny was saying that you’ve got the hots for the new neighbor,” Sam said tentatively. “You could ask him-“Dean held up a hand to silence his little brother.

“Sammy, we’ve talked about this. I don’t want to date right now. I just want to focus on work and Emma.” Sam rolled his eyes, taking the to-go box Dean offered him. Luckily, Sam dropped it and they settled into their normal banter. Dean told Sam about Emma’s karate tournament that was happening on Saturday – which Sam swore he wouldn’t miss for the world – and Sam told him about work. Then Dean packed up the trash, made sure Sam was still joining them for dinner on Wednesday, and walked out of the office and right into his new neighbor.

“I apolog-oh, hello, Dean,” Castiel blinked up at him, cocking his head to the side.

“Hey, Castiel,” Dean smiled nervously, heart skipping a beat. He was positive that Castiel’s eyes were contacts. They had to be. No one had eyes that blue. “What’re you doing here?”

“I work here,” Castiel explained. “And yourself?”

“I was having lunch with my little brother.” They stared at each other awkwardly for a long moment. “I…guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yes, you will. Goodbye, Dean,” Castiel said, slipping past him. 

  
***  


Castiel sometimes felt like he should have taken up his father’s offer to take custody of Claire. He had never been particularly good with people, let alone children. He was personally quite an introverted person, only truly socializing with a close circle of friends. Not to mention that prior to this past year, he had only ever seen Claire for holidays and called her on her birthday. She had been much closer to her grandfather, but Castiel’s father was old and fragile and could easily pass on any day. He most certainly wouldn’t make it to Claire’s 18th birthday. He couldn’t possibly risk putting Claire through the loss of another caregiver.

Gabriel had been a lot of help. He had stayed with Castiel and had helped him in the months after Jimmy and Amelia’s death with Claire. He was pretty sure Claire liked Gabriel a lot more than himself. She would have probably rather lived with Gabriel, but Gabriel didn’t live a particularly child-friendly lifestyle. He was a good babysitter, though, and Claire was always happy after spending an afternoon with him.

“Bye, bye, Uncle Gabe!” Claire waved happily as she and Castiel walked out Gabriel’s apartment, her hand clutched around his.

“Thank you for watching her, Gabriel.”

“Just make sure next time you’re working late, it’s because you’re nailin-“

“Gabriel!” Castiel interrupted. “Not in front of Claire.” Gabriel rolled his eyes, and pushed his apartment door shut. 

  
***  


Emma loved having another kid on the street. The only other kids were Jesse Turner and Ben Braeden, and they were stinky boys that put a frog on her head. Claire thought frogs were icky too, and she liked to play Princesses Warriors and dress-up, so Claire was her new best friend. They had played together almost every day since she had moved in.

“So, who’s that guy that lives with you?” Claire asked, pumping her legs back and forth on the swings in Emma’s backyard.

“That’s Uncle Benny,” she explained. 

“Is he…like your dad’s boyfriend?” Emma shook her head.

“Not anymore. Daddy says it didn't work.” Emma explained, “Daddy and Ben’s mom dated for a while too, when I was littler but it didn’t really work either. He went on a couple of dates with a guy named Richie, but that didn’t really work out. And, like I said, he and Uncle Benny went out. Him and daddy were together a loooong time; daddy even thought they were were gonna get married. I don’t know what happened.”

“So, your daddy dates boys?” Claire asked. Emma nodded. “My Uncle Cas does too.” Emma gasped.

“Claire, if your uncle and my daddy dated, they could get married and then we’d be like sisters or something,” Emma pointed out. Claire stopped swinging, furrowing her brow as she thought about it.

“That would be really cool, actually,” She declared, looking up at the chipping paint of the swing set.

“Y’know, if we want Uncle Cas and your daddy to get together, they’re gonna have to spend time together,” Claire declared. “Can’t fall in love if you don’t spend time together.”

“How are we gonna get them to spend time together, though?” asked Emma, watching her shoe dangle precariously from her toes. She wouldn’t let it fall though, because then she’d have to get off the swing and get it.

“Uncle Cas takes me to the park everyday after school - you get your daddy to take you and then they can sit on the benches and talk like parents do,” Claire explained. “It’s easy as pie.”

“Have you ever made pie? It’s not that easy, Claire.” 

  
***  


"Daddy, c’mon, We’re gonna be late," Emma grumbled, tugging at his hand as he climbed out of the impala. Dean chuckled, rolling his eyes as his daughter pulled him along the winding sidewalk that lead from the parking lot to the playground at the bottom of the hill.

"Kiddo, the park isn't gonna close," he assured, trying his hardest not to fall over due to the angle Emma was forcing him to bend over at.

"That's not it, daddy," Emma said, and Dean could hear her roll her eyes. He was going to have to talk to Sam about keeping his sass levels down around his daughter.

"Emma!" 

"Claire!" Emma released his hand, running over to her new best friend. Dean shook his head, smiling fondly.

"So that's why you were in such a rush, huh?" Dean muttered. Emma didn't answer, but gave him a little shit eating grin and ran off with Claire to the playscape. Dean sighed, plopping down on the bench beside Castiel, who was clutching a worn paperback. 

"It appears we keep running into each other," observed the other man, running one thin finger over the page, following the words as he read.

"Yeah, looks that way." Dean agreed, watching Cas' finger skim the words. "Isn't that one of those trashy romance books? Like middle age women read because their husbands don't pay attention anymore?" 

"Not precisely," Castiel answers, folding down the top corner of the page and closing the book. "There is, very fortunately, no intercourse." He set the book aside, looking up at Dean. "It isn't a very good book, but somehow my father managed to make quite a fortune from it. I’m pretty sure that’s why I keep reading them - to try and find out how they sold so many copies.”

"Like that chick that wrote that sparkly vampire book?" Castiel nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. It was a nice smile, barely an upturn of the lips but somehow it seemed like he was beaming. "So, your pops is a writer and you're a lawyer?"

"Yes," Castiel answered. "And your brother is a lawyer and you are...?"

"Nothing glamorous. I just fix cars," Dean shrugged. "My old man left me his garage when he passed."

"It must be convenient...with Emma," he added the second part almost as an afterthought, lips pursing as he turned his gaze to watched the girls play. "You can set your own hours, I assume?"

"Yeah, I still work the same nine to five for the most part though, but it makes things pretty flexible. I can stay home with her when she’s sick, and not worry about sick days, which is nice,” Dean shrugged. "What about you? I know Sam works crazy hours." 

“They’re willing to be a bit more flexible with my hours, since I’ve got quite a deal of experience at winning the types of cases they normally take,” he said.

“Really? How long have you been a lawyer?” he asked.

“Twelve years, which isn’t very long in comparison to some, but enough to make my boss willing to compromise to keep me under his employment.” Castiel explained, and they fell silent, watching the girls for several long moments.

"It’s very nice to see that Claire has made a friend," Castiel observed, smiling when Claire waved animatedly at him, before flipping off the monkey bars and landing on the ground. Emma followed, making Dean cringe just a bit. He would never claim that he wasn't incredibly paranoid when it came to his daughter. "She was quite upset about the move."

"Yeah, it’s good to see Emma making new friends too," Dean agreed. To be honest, Dean had been worrying about Emma. She never seemed to want to make friends. She sometimes played with Ben and Jesse, but that almost always ended up in scrapes and bruises and tears; just as often it was Emma that was the cause as the boys. She talked about a few kids at school, but there were never invites to parties or asking to go over. "How's Claire settling in to school?" Dean remembered what it was like to be the new kid. John had moved him and Sam around a lot before he'd met Kate and had Adam. 

"Well enough. She misses her old school and friends, but after the first day she stopped putting up a fight about going."

"What about you, Cas?" The other man raised an eyebrow at the nickname but said nothing. "I mean, new job and a new house and all, it’s a pretty big change." Castiel nodded.

"It has been difficult, adjusting to everything, but it is nice to be close to my family," he explained. "I believe it will be beneficial to Claire as well." Dean wanted to ask why Castiel had custody of Claire, but he figured that was a bit invasive. He'd just met the guy two weeks ago, after all, and he sure as hell understood that some things were purely between families. 

  
***  


"Um, hey, Castiel?" Castiel looked up from the papers on the case Mr. Crowley had assigned him to the large puppy of a man in the doorway of his office. Sam Winchester was, if he remembers correctly, Dean's younger brother. Castiel was sure the odds of him working with the younger brother of his new neighbor were actually very astronomical, but it had happened. "I was going to get something to eat; do you want to join me? My treat."

Castiel pursed his lips thoughtfully. Sam seemed like he would be good company, and it would be nice to have at least a friendly acquaintance at work. Gabriel was beginning to nag him about not "playing nice and making friends" anyways. "That would be nice. Just let me finish this email." 

Sam nodded and fifteen minutes later they were at the café down the road. Sam was telling him about their co-workers ("Watch out for Meg. She's nice enough but she's a maneater." Castiel was sure that was meant metaphorically. "Lilith will probably rip out your still beating heart and eat it." that one, he wasn't so sure about.) as they waited in line to place orders for overpriced coffee and sandwiches. 

"Moose!" Gabriel greeted cheerily when they got to the front of the line, holding out a pre-made coffee to Sam. Castiel raises an eyebrow at his brother. "Hey, little brother," he turned his smile to Castiel. "See you made a friend at work. Vanilla Latte?" he asked, pressing some buttons on the cashier. 

"You're brothers?" asked Sam, looking between them, digging a twenty from his wallet.

"Yup," Gabriel answered, taking the money from Sam's hand. "Small world and all, I guess."

"Quite small indeed," Castiel agreed. "Sam's brother is my new neighbor." 

"Guess it really is a small world. So you're the new guy Dean mentioned," Sam said, taking his change from Gabriel. "Says Emma and your little girl are thick as thieves already." Castiel resisted the urge to correct Sam on Claire being his little girl. People had taken it the wrong way when he's first gotten custody of Claire, he had made a point of correcting them that she wasn't his daughter. Gabriel had explained it as him making it seem like Claire was some burden he'd had no choice but to take, which was anything but the truth. 

"You didn't tell me Claire made a new friend, Castiel," Gabriel sounded offended that Castiel hadn't kept him informed about every little thing that happened. Castiel had assumed Claire would have mentioned Emma to Gabriel at least once, since they spoke at least every other day. She never seemed to run out of things to say about Emma, and Dean and Dean’s roommate. ("He's got this really cool accent, Uncle Cas. And he used to be a sailor!"). "I mean, Claire told me about her, but I'm still offended." Castiel rolled his eyes.

"You can discuss it with her when you come over, Gabriel." Castiel declared, "Now if you please, I'd like my coffee before lunch is over." 

  
***  


"I met your brother today," Castiel informed when Dean plopped down on the park bench beside him as Emma ran off to play with Claire. This was beginning to become an almost daily thing. Emma would beg and plead to go to the park when Dean picked her up from school, and Castiel and Claire would always be there. Or show up later occasionally.

"Oh really?" Dean said, "He's a bit of a dork, but he's a good kid." Castiel smiled, dog earing the book (This time is was Bugs, where brothers Jensen and Jared have to defeat some curse involving bugs apparently, from what the back cover said when Castiel set it down between them.) 

"He is," Castiel agreed. "He's very tall." Dean laughed.

"He was a scrawny ass kid, then I came back from basic and he was taller than me," Dean said in agreement.

"You were in the military?" 

"Navy, yeah," Dean answered. "Had to retire after Em was born, though. Couldn't really go on tour and leave my kid alone, ya know?" Castiel nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Emma's mother?" he asked, looking up at Dean with those blue eyes. Dean bit his lip, and then shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't really know," Dean explained. "Emma’s mom...she got pregnant specifically to keep me from breaking up with her - but then Emma was born and about six months in she realized that she didn’t like being a mom and ran off.”

"Oh, I am sorry to hear." 

"Don't be," Dean assured. "I mean, sometimes I wished Emma had a mom but...well, everyone has that crazy ex-girlfriend and Lydia was mine, so I'm sort of glad she's not around," Dean explained. "She was into this pagan crap - not that that's bad. I've met plenty of nice Pagans. It’s just Lydia was in some cult that fashioned themselves around the Amazons. It was weird." Castiel nodded, leaning forward with his elbows hanging on his thighs. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it’s not really normal for an uncle to be raising their niece. Normally if social services yank the kid, they go to the grandparents - not that I'm assuming that social services yanked Claire. I'm sure your sibling was -is- a great person." Dean was babbling, foot shoved so far in his mouth it was coming out his ass.

"My brother and sister-in-law named me Claire's godfather, so that should anything happen to them, she would stay with family. I just never thought when I agreed..." Castiel trailed off. "A year and a half ago, they were hit by a drunk driver. By the grace of God, Claire wasn't in the car, but they were both declared dead on scene.” 

“I’m…so sorry to hear. It must have been hard for her,” Dean murmured, looking over at Claire with sympathy in his eyes. He remembered when his mother had died. It had felt like his entire life had fallen apart. But at least he’d had his dad. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to lose both parents at such a young age. “She’s lucky to have you.” Castiel shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I’d say it’s more that I’m lucky to have her,” He admitted. And hell, if that wasn’t one of the sweetest things Dean had heard in a long time. Not to mention something he could really relate to. 

  
***  


Emma’s birthday was April 13th. They’d never really had any kind of big party like some of the kids in her class at school seemed to have. Normally, they spend the day just the three –four if Sam is off work too- of them on Benny’s boat and had a small family dinner. Dean would make her favorite – spaghetti and garlic bread – and Sam would pick her up a cake from the grocery store on his way over.

“Can Claire and Mr. Novak come over for my birthday this year?” Emma asked, hanging off the back of the couch and watching Dean as he made dinner. “It’s a Friday, so maybe Claire could spend the night too.” Dean didn’t answer for a moment as he added a pinch of salt to the pan. Emma was getting to an age where friends were about as important family. He should probably start letting her have actual birthday parties. Plus, Claire was a sweet girl, and Dean would definitely not be against spending a bit more time with Castiel. 

“I’m fine with that,” Dean said. Emma cheered, throwing her arms up and teetering ominously on her stomach, before letting herself slide down so that she was sitting on her knees on the couch. “Can I go ask ‘em right now?” Dean looked at the microwave clock, and then nodded.

“Come right back, got it?” Emma nodded, hopping off the couch and ran off, pulling the front door open and letting it slam behind her as she ran out. Dean leaned back a little so that he could watch her as she ran across the yards. She’d forgotten her shoes. 

  
***  


Claire answered the door. Emma gave her a thumbs up. “Daddy says you guys can come to my birthday dinner, so you gotta tell your uncle, okay?”

“I’m sure he’ll let me, but how do I get him to come with me?”

“Tell him that he’s invited, and it would be rude to not show up,” Emma shrugged. “I’ve gotta get back. Daddy’s making tacos.” 

  
***  


Castiel furrowed his brow, poking at the meatloaf with a fork. It was hard as a rock, blackened with all the juices having evaporated in the oven. Perhaps he should have covered it? He thinks maybe Gabriel had mentioned something like that when he gave him the recipe. (“Claire would love it. This chick I used to work with – Kali, of course that wasn’t her real name – gave it to me. She’d bring it to work on Fridays and man did it fill you up.”) He wasn’t sure how he felt about using recipes that originated from Gabriel’s former work, but it had been quite good the one time Gabriel had made it for him.

“I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to look,” Claire declared, walking up beside him and resting her hands on the edge of the counter. She rested her chin in the space between her hands. “We should just order pizza.”

“Claire, we cannot live off pizza, fast food, and sandwiches,” Castiel reminded with a sigh as he picked up the pan, and walked over to the trash can. He stepped on the pedal of the can and dumped in the ruined meatloaf into it, the bag tugging dangerously at the edges of where it gripped the can. “Get the phone.” 

Claire nodded, standing on her tips of her toes and leaning over to grab the phone off the cradle. “Speaking of not living off of pizza,” Claire started, walking over and handing the phone out to her. “Emma’s birthday is next weekend. She said we could come over and have dinner with all of them. Can we go, Uncle Cas?”

Castiel took the phone, pulling the menu for the Chinese restaurant that was a few streets away. He was sick of pizza. “Of course you can go, Claire.”

“You too, right, Uncle Cas?” Castiel pressed the numbers on the phone, double checking that the number was right before pressing talk and holding it to his ear.

“Claire, I’m sure they don’t want me there,” he said as the phone rang. “Birthday dinners are typically a family event.”

“No, you were invited too, so you’ve gotta go if I go,” Claire announced. “It would be really rude if you didn’t! Plus, Mr. Winchester and you are friends and you work with Emma’s Uncle, so you could talk to them. You’ll have fun!” She pouted up at him as the other end of line picked up. Castiel nodded at Claire as he ordered their meal. She silently cheered, pumping her fists. Castiel smiled fondly, listening as the man on the other end read back his order.  
***  
“Claire tells me you’re going to hottie neighbor’s for dinner,” Gabriel said when Castiel walked up to the counter with Sam during their lunch break the next day. Sam raised an eyebrow, giving both of them looks as he took the coffee Gabriel offered him.

“How would you know that my neighbor is a hottie, Gabriel?” asked Castiel as he took the coffee and held out a twenty. 

“Well, he’s moose here’s brother, isn’t he?” Sam nodded, face reddening a little. “Plus, Claire said he was.”

“Does Claire keep you up to date on all the on goings of my life?”

“She’s a kid, they like to talk, especially if you ask the right questions,” Gabriel shrugged, holding out Castiel’s change. “Sam, is your brother single?”

“Despite my best efforts, yes,” Sam answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Well, does he have an appreciation for the male body?” Castiel could feel his face heating up. Sam choked on his coffee, laughing. He grabbed a napkin, nodding as he wiped coffee from his chin and tried to get as much out of his shirt as he could. “See, Cas? Hottie neighbor likes guys. He obviously likes kids – I mean he has one. – and his kid and Claire get along great. He wouldn’t run off like Bal-“

“Thank you for the coffee, Gabriel,” Castiel cut him off, narrowing his eyes. 

  
***  


“No, daddy, you can’t keep wearing that shirt!” Emma exclaimed, standing in his doorway with hands on her hips, glaring up at him. Dean looked down at her, one eyebrow cocked up in confusion. “You can’t wear that shirt. That’s an ugly shirt.” She walked into the room, pulling open his closet and tugging at the bottom of his shirts to look at them. Dean stared down at his shirt. It was a bit worn, but there were no holes in it and no stains. Sure, he’d worn it on the boat today, but it was still clean.

“Em-“Dean started, but Emma cut him off, pulling a striped button up down from the rack. The hanger came tumbling down and hitting her on the head. She pouted, turning her glare to the hanger before turning around and holding the shirt out to him.

“Wear this, daddy,” she ordered. “This is nicer.” Dean sighed, rolling his eyes and taking the shirt from her. 

“Did you at least insist on dressing Benny too?”

“I can,” She shrugged. “Now, go dress. I’m gonna go downstairs.” Emma turned on heel, and ran out of the room. 

  
***  


“Uncle Cas!” Claire was staring at him, mortified. “Your tie is backwards!” Castiel looked down, taking the tie in his hand. Claire hopped up on the couch, and untied it, dropping it to the ground. “You don’t need a tie anyways,” she mumbled, adjusting the collar of his white shirt. “Maybe you should change shirts. You can’t look like you just got off work.”

“Claire, I highly doubt that the Winchesters will care,” Castiel said, giving her what he thought was a reassuring smile. Claire rolled her eyes.

“Uncle Cas, we’re having dinner with three attractive, available men-“

“Is that this is about?”

“No, Uncle Cas,” Castiel could tell she was lying. “But, you’ve gotta make friends too.” Castiel smiled, running a hand over her hair. Gabriel had obviously been talking to her.

"Thank you for your concern, Claire. I'll try and make friends." Cas promised. Claire brightened and hugged his middle. 

"Good, then go and change into something kind of casual. One of your lame grandpa sweaters would work." 

15 minutes later and he were standing in the Winchesters' living room, Castiel dress in a blue "lame grandpa sweater" and slacks. Emma had dragged Claire off almost immediately to play until dinner was ready. Dean was walking around the room, straightening couch cushions as he spoke.

"Sorry, it’s kind of a mess. We don't have company much. Mostly just Sam, and sometimes some other family. Ellen - my aunt- is always saying me and Benny need a woman's touch around," Dean was rambling. Castiel didn't actually think the house looked messy at all. There was a bit of a lived in feeling to it, with scuffs on the furniture and barely noticeable stains on the carpet, and places on the wall where the paint looked newer. But there were also pictures on the walls, chronicling a lifetime. Pictures of boys that Castiel assumed were Sam and Dean, along with a third boy, of Dean and his housemate in their Navy Blues, of Emma at all different ages, and of people that Castiel could only assume were other members of the family (perhaps their parents or the Aunt Ellen's family Dean was mentioning?)

"Your home is very nice, Dean," Castiel assured. "Thank you for having us over." Dean paused his fidgeting to look at him.

"It’s no problem, man," he said. "This is the first time Emma has ever invited a friend over for her birthday. I was..." Dean bit his lip. "Tell ya the truth, I was a bit hesitant. This is normally a family thing for us, ya know? But she's growing up and I've gotta learn to let got. At least, that's what everyone's always saying." 

"I understand," Castiel nodded. "She's your only child. You don't want her to grow up." 

Dean looked down, toeing a stain on the floor. A timer went off in the kitchen, setting him into motion. Castiel followed him into the kitchen, standing nervously by the island as Dean struggled to pull an oven mitt on as he turned off the oven. He bent down and Castiel couldn’t help but look. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed that Dean was a very attractive – absolutely gorgeous – man. He’d noticed that as soon as he’d lay eyes on the other man, but at the time he’d been a bit too preoccupied with the move and everything to truly appreciate him. Not to mention that he was a good man. He seemed to value his family above all else, and was genuinely very outgoing and pleasant. Castiel had met very few people like that. Perhaps Gabriel was right about considering dating? He wasn’t sure if he could want to risk something like that with someone he’d have to live next to, not to mention the father of one of Claire’s friends. It could potentially make things very awkward.

The front door opened and slammed, and two men came in carrying a small blue bike. One was Sam, nearly hunched over in two. The other Castiel vaguely recognized as Dean’s house mate, Benny, he believed his name was. They set the bike down as Dean set the pan in his hand aside and turned to greet them. “Was the store crowded?”

“Oh yeah, brother,” Benny sighed, shaking his head. “But we got it.” Sam smiled.

“Emma’s gonna love it,” he added, before nodding at Castiel. “Hey, Castiel.”

“Hello, Sam.” Benny stepped forward and held out his hand.

“Benny Lafitte, pleasure to finally meet you.” Castiel took his hand and shook it.

“Castiel Novak.” 

“Well, dinner’s done and everyone’s here. Sam, will you set the table while I get the girls from out back?” Sam nodded, slipping past Castiel and walking over to the cabinets. He gathered an arm full of plates. He pulled open a drawer and grabbed a handful of silverware. 

  
***  


Sam kept giving him the look. It was the look reserved for when they were out and Sam saw someone that he knew was Dean’s type. Sam seemed obsessed with helping Dean find someone. He seemed under the impression that he and Emma would be better off with someone else around. (“Remember when Dad met Kate? Remember how great everything became after Kate came into the picture?”) Dean knew he meant well, but lately Dean didn’t have much desire to date. Emma and work and everything else just kept him busy. Of course, at night, he did get lonely and sometimes he missed the feeling of a warm body beside him. It had been years since he’d gotten off with someone instead of his hand.

“He’s single,” Sam mumbled quietly to him as he helped Dean carry some food to the table. Benny, Cas, and the girls were already sat at the table. “You should totally go for it.”

“Sam, he’s not even-”

“Yes, yes he is.” Sam gave him a smirk, and slipped past him into the dining room, setting the tray of garlic bread and bowl of sauce in the center of the table. Emma cheered happily, and reached out to grab two pieces of bread, handing one off to Claire.

“Daddy makes the best garlic bread,” she declared. Dean set the bowl of noodles and the serving utensils on the table.

“Do you need help with your plate, Em?” he asked. Emma glared up at him.

“Dad, I’m nine years old now. I can fix my own plate,” Dean smiled fondly down at her, reaching down and ruffling her hair, before sitting down at his seat at the head of the table. Castiel smiled at him from the spot he’d chosen two seats down, next to Claire.

“This look delicious, Dean,” he commented. Dean couldn’t help but smile.

“Tastes that way too.” Sam was giving him bitchface number 86, a rather newer one that stood for “I was expecting a corny pick-up line”. “Why don’t we all dig in?” 

Sam was right about one thing - Castiel was certainly his type physically. Dean had always been partial to dark hair and slender bodies, but he had a huge soft spot for blue eyes. His personality was a bit different than Dean normally went to. Dean liked the fiery type, but Castiel was quiet and a bit odd. And Dean found something ridiculously attractive about it. Most of Dean’s past relationships had been quick, burning too hot to ever possibly last. Maybe he should try something more stable - someone with a cooler personality. But he’d tried going for that with Benny, and it hadn’t exactly worked.

On the other hand, Dean didn’t have any proof that Castiel was even into guys. He seemed like the typical white-collar guy, straight as an arrow. Though Sam had said otherwise, and they did spend like nine hours a day working together. Maybe Castiel had mentioned something? Maybe Castiel had mentioned him.

And didn’t that make Dean feel like a teenage girl with a stupid crush. He was a grown ass man. He had a kid to worry about, and work. He didn’t have time to start swooning over the neighbor. Even if that neighbor was a bit like sex personified. 

“Dean?” Dean looked up, blinking the thoughts from his head. Sam was looking at him with bitchface number 12, reserved for when Dean was zoning out. “Think we should get Emma’s birthday cake?”

“Yeah, I’ll go get that now. Sammy, could you help clear the table?”

“I’ll do it.” Castiel stood up, and before Dean could protest, he was gathering the plates up and putting them aside. Dean smiled at him, grabbing some of the remaining plates and leading him into the kitchen.

“Thanks, man,” He said, dumping the dishes into the sink with a loud clank. Castiel set the dishes in his hands down with a bit more finesse.

“It was no problem,” Castiel assured. “Do you need help with the cake?” 

“Actually, yeah. Could you grab the candles and a lighter out of the drawer?”

“Dinner was very good, Dean,” Castiel commented as he pulled open the drawer and began rifling through it, looking for the candles and the lighter. “You’re a very good cook.”

Dean shrugged. “It’s a nice way to relax.” 

“It’s more of a stress factor for myself,” Castiel chuckled a bit. “My brother enjoys it. To be honest, Claire and I spent six months surviving on leftovers he’d brought us.” He turned around and held out the package of candles and the lighter.

“You’re the type that burns water, aren’t you?” Dean took the candles and lighter.

“Unfortunately, yes. I try, but it seems like cooking is just one of those things I will never master.” Dean pursed his lips.

“Y’know, the first thing I learned to cook was spaghetti. I could give you this recipe, maybe you’ll have more luck?” 

“I would be very grateful for that.” 

  
***  


Castiel is a romantic at heart. He’d always dreamed of finding the right person, settling down, and getting a cat,perhaps having children if he found someone who wanted them too. But, he wasn’t one to casually date. He didn’t see a point in it if he couldn’t see the potential for long term. He’d know plenty of people over time who would having a relationship with someone for fun, but had no illusions about anything long term, and Castiel could just never make sense of that. The point of dating was to find someone to spend your life with, wasn’t it?

Unfortunately, with a view like that, Castiel had only had three relationships in his life. There was Daphne, who he’d been absolutely “in love” with when he was fifteen. Meg, in his later school years, who he’d seen a future with, but then they’d been accepted into different colleges and she’d broken it off (“Fun while it lasted, Clarence, but I’ve got needs you can’t fill from across the country.”) And then, there was Balthazar.

Balthazar was his college roommate, and Castiel had been smitten quicker than he’d like to admit. He thinks it’s because at first, Balthazar had reminded him a bit of Meg. He was sarcastic, his words sometimes a bit more biting than humorous - condescending, and honestly describing the similarities between him and Meg made Castiel seriously question his tastes in partners, but something about that kind of personality drew him in.

It took him a semester of living with Balthazar to decide that, yes, there was relationship potential there. It took another year to decide that Balthazar was the one he wanted to spend his life with. And, Balthazar seemed to feel the same. After almost twenty years, together, Castiel hadn’t thought it would end like it did. He hadn’t thought that Balthazar would just get up and leave when he needed him most.

But Balthazar couldn’t stand children, and Castiel wasn’t going to abandon Claire when she needed him, so it was truly a mutually agreed upon split but...it didn’t stop it from hurting. Castiel doesn’t like to think about what the break up would have done it him if he hadn’t had Claire to worry about. 

Castiel was still a romantic - in theory, he would still love to find someone to be with. But he doubted it would happen. He was nearly forty, and now he had a child to worry about. So, he’d resolved to be content with what he had; Claire, a nice job, and his siblings close by. Perhaps he’d even get a cat once they were settled in. 

  
***  


“Did you see them at dinner last night?” asked Claire, leaning her cheek against the cool metal of the swing’s chain. Emma nodded enthusiastically.

“They kept looking at each other! I think we’ve almost got them,” Emma declared. “Think they just need one last push! Maybe…” Emma bit her lip, eyes rolling up to look at her brow as she thought.

“We had dinner at your house,” Claire said, shaking her hips so that the swing swung from side to side, nearly crashing into Emma.

“Then it would only be fair if we ate at your house,” Emma said. 

“But why would we invite you and your dad over?” wondered Claire. “My birthday isn’t for another four months.”

“Aw man, you’re right!” the other girl sighed, “Thanksgiving is next month…but we always go to Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bobby’s for that.” 

“Yeah, we go to granddad’s,” Claire kicked her legs, causing the swing to go in a circular pattern. “Maybe…” Claire humphed thoughtfully. “What if I asked if you could sleep over, and then we say that we all have dinner together?” Emma looked at her expectantly. “Like, you and your dad show up at dinnertime, and I ask you to stay for dinner. Uncle Cas is all about manners and stuff so he probably wouldn’t say no if I already asked.” 

Emma nodded. “That could definitely work! When should we do it?”

“Is Saturday good?” 

  
***  


Castiel was trying to cook, again. This time he was attempting the spaghetti recipe that Dean had given him at Emma’s birthday, and he was pretty sure that he was doing pretty well. The sauce looked like it should - no odd lumps of burned tomato paste or spices. Maybe for once, he would cook something and they would actually be able to eat it. That would truly be a feat.

“Uncle Cas,” Claire was sitting on the counters, something Castiel is sure he shouldn’t let her do but what harm could she do? It was a short fall to the ground and it wasn’t as if that particular counter was used for much more than dumping mail. “I was thinking, could Emma spend the night on Saturday?” 

“I don’t see why not.”

She was quiet for a moment. “We should also invite them to dinner too.”

Castiel paused, turning around and looking at his niece. “You wish to subject Emma and Dean to my cooking?” Claire shrugged.

“Well, we could always order pizza or something.” She suggested. “C’mon, Uncle Cas, it’s only polite. We had dinner with them so they need to have dinner with us!” Castiel sighed.

“If it’s what you really want, then we can invite the Winchesters for dinner.” Claire cheered, hopping off of the counter. “I’ll go and tell Emma right now!” She ran off, bare feet thudding mutely on the floor. 

  
***  


The Winchesters came to dinner on Saturday, just as Claire had wanted. Castiel spent three hours trying to make sure he prepared a meal that was edible, and shockingly he succeeded. Of course, half of the meal was frozen anyways. Perhaps he should consider cooking lessons?

“Or, you could get Mr. Winchester to teach you,” suggested Claire when he’d voiced the thought. “Emma says her dad is the best cook in the world.”

“Claire, I’m not going to bother Mr. Winchester to ask him to teach me how to cook. I’m 37 years old, I can figure it out on my own.”Claire rolled her eyes, grabbing the plates Castiel had set on the counters and heading into the dining room. 

The doorbell rang, and Castiel went to answer it. “Hiya, Nr. Novak,” Emma smiled and waved, slipping past him and wandering in the house. Dean smiled at him apologetically.

“Hello, Dean.” Castiel smiled, standing aside and letting the younger man in.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean walked past him. “Thanks for having us over.” 

“Thank you for joining us. Claire was really excited,” Castiel explained, leading Dean into the living area. “It’s probably not all that good. I bought a frozen lasagna.” 

“Still no luck on the cooking front?” 

“I did try that recipe you gave me, and it turned out quite well.” Castiel explained, “But other than that, not really.”

“Well,” Dean looked a bit nervous. “Maybe I could over sometime and teach you to make a few things.” Castiel was a bit taken aback by the offer, though certainly not in a bad way. He was in no way opposed to spending time with Dean. He wasn’t going to deny his attraction to the other man, and if he didn’t have Claire to worry about he would definitely consider pursuing a relationship with him. But he did have Claire and he didn’t want to risk ruining her one friendship by a potentially bad break-up. It didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, though.

“I’d like that very much.” Cas said. Dean smiled.

“Are you free tomorrow? Sammy was gonna take Emma to the museum. Claire could go with them and I could come over?” Castiel nodded.

“Yes, that sounds very good.” 

  
***  


The girls were all shipped off to the museum with Sam and Castiel’s brother, Gabriel. Dean hadn’t known that Sam knew Castiel’s brother, or that they were close enough to decide to have an impromptu museum day, but he guessed it really was a small world. Dean went to Castiel’s armed with the beginners cookbooks he’d used to teach Sam how to make more than ramen when he went to college.

However, this may be a bit harder than teaching Sam. Cas’ eye had widened as he flipped through the cookbook, looking more and more horrified with each passing page. Dean smiled, clapping him on the back. “Don’t worry. It’s easy.”

“I’ll trust you on that.” Cas said dubiously.

“Do you wanna try the burgers first?” Dean asked, taking the book and flipping through it until he found the recipe. Castiel nodded. “Well, here’s the ingredient list. If you don’t have some of these spices I’ve got ‘em next door.” Cas turned around and began rummaging through his kitchen.

“Who taught you how to cook?” Castiel asked, setting an armful of ingredients down on the counter.

“My step-mom,” Dean shrugged. “My dad worked all day, and she worked nights, so I had to look after my brothers a lot, and she didn’t want us living off of pizza and PB&Js, so she taught me to cook.” He grabbed a bowl from one of Castiel’s cabinets and dumped the ground beef into it.

“Sam’s not your only brother?”

“No, dad and Kate had my half-brother, Adam. He’s about to go into medical school this fall,” Dean handed him the ring of measuring spoons. “A tablespoon of pepper.”

“The largest one, correct?” Dean nodded.

“What about you? There’s Gabriel and...Claire’s father, are they your only siblings?”

“No. I’ve got another brother, Luke, who is currently serving ten to fifteen in the state penitentary, and a sister, Anna, who works as a translator in France,” Castiel explained. 

“What about Gabriel? What does Gabriel do?” Dean asked, grabbing the 

“He’s now a barista. He used...” Castiel paused, looking away, embarrassed. “Well, it doesn’t really matter what he used to do.” 

“Can’t be worse than being in jail, can it?” Dean asked. Castiel chuckled quietly.

“No, I guess not.” Dean held out the seasoning salt. 

“Two tablespoons.” 

“Pornstar.” Cas said suddenly. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Pornstar?”

“That’s what Gabriel’s former job was. I’m not sure how he ended up doing that, but it’s what he did for almost ten years.” Dean laughed.

“Hey, it’s not the worse job in the world,” Dean shrugged. “He must be a good guy - he helps you with Claire a lot, doesn’t he?”

“He is truly a godsend,” Castiel smiled. “He and Sam seem close. I’m not sure how that happened, but I believe Gabriel may have developed an attraction to him.”

“Well, Sam is the only person who’s been single longer than I have,” Dean huffed. “He needs someone.”

“I feel the same about Gabriel.” 

  
***  


“So, Dean, did you have fun with the bluebird next door?” Benny asked, resting his chin on the back of the couch.

“I did.”

“Are you gonna spend more time with him?” Dean raised an eyebrow, looking down at his best friend.

“I’m sure I will, with as much time as Emma and Claire like spending together.” Benny rolled his eyes.

“Not what I meant, brother.” Dean sighed, walking around and sitting on the couch.

“Benny, not you too.”

“C’mon, Dean, remember before Emma, you talked about finding the right person, and settling down and starting a family?”

“I’ve got Emma,” Dean reminded. 

“And she’s sweeter than pie, but it’s a bit odd that you’d give up on that dream of domestic life just ‘cause you’ve gotta kid now,” Benny pointed out.

“Benny, you remember what it was life when I was dating. The only people I attract are bad news, and I don’t want to put Emma through that.” Dean sighed, letting his head fall back against the back of the couch.

“I wasn’t bad news.” Dean couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You liked my ass too much to cause trouble.”

“True,” Benny smiled at him. “Emma deserves two parents, Dean.”

“You could have been one.”

“I could have, but you know we’re better off as friends, sugar,” Benny declared.

“What’s wrong with that? Friends make great partners.”

“Now you’re just arguing to argue,” Benny laughed, patting his thigh. And yeah, he was right. It had been mutually agreed that in their case, they weren’t some best-friends-turned-lovers success story. Dean loved Benny, and Benny loved him, but they wanted different things in life. Had different priorities. “That Castiel fella, he’s hardly the type you’ve gone for in the past, but you’ve still got a hard-on for him. He’s got a kid to worry about too. It seems to me that you two would have the same priorities.”

“Then he’s probably not big on dating either.”

“True,” Benny shrugged. “All I’m saying is that you should think about it. Emma likes him, and his niece and her are like two peas in a pod.” Benny got up, and left Dean to his thoughts.

Maybe... just maybe...Benny was right.

***  
“Fuck,” Dean furrowed his brow, looking up from his mail towards the Novaks’ yard. “Fucking piece of fucking shit.” There was the sound of a hard shoe hitting metal.

“Problem?” Dean called, peeking his head around the fence and looking at the open door of the Novak’s garage.

Castiel looked down trodden, hair ruffled and tie askew. “The piece of shit car broke down,” he grumbled loudly. The curses somehow sounded wrong on his lips, yet simultaneously like they belonged - like Castiel was a lifelong potty-mouth. Dean shoved the mail into the pocket of his jacket, and walked down the driveway. 

“Want me to look at it?” he asked. Castiel sighed, face falling in relief.

“I would really appreciate it,” He sighed, leaning back against a bike behind him. 

“Okay. It’ll probably take a bit, so if you want I can get Benny to take Claire to school when he takes Emma?”

“Thank you so much, Dean,” Castiel smiled. “It’s very convenient to have a mechanic next door.”

“Everyone has their uses,” Dean winked. “I’ve gotta get Emma ready for school, but just bring Claire over when she’s ready and then I’ll bring my tools over here, take a look at it.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you need to get to work?” 

“I can afford to call in sick today. It’ll give me time to clean up around the house,” Castiel pushed himself off the bike, which threatened to fall, shaking ominously before evening out. 

  
***  


“You’re skipping work to spend time with Dean?” Claire asked, clutching his hand as he walked her next door to the Winchesters.

“I’m not skipping work. The car broke down, and Dean is fixing it,” Castiel sighed.

“Uncle Gabriel told you that car was no good,” Claire declared, stepping forward and eagerly pressing the doorbell.

“I know what Uncle Gabriel said, Claire. And next time I’ll listen to him.”

“You could take Dean next time,” Claire suggested, releasing hand. “He works with cars he should know how to buy a good one.”

Castiel huff a bit, “Perhaps. We’ll see.” 

  
***  


Castiel wasn’t checking Dean out. He was merely hanging around incase Dean needed his assistance. He certainly wasn’t appreciating the muscles of Dean’s back moving under the t-shirt as he worked, or how the jeans perfectly complimented the curves of his ass. And he certainly wasn’t thinking about other things they could do that involved Dean being bent over.

“Enjoying the view?” Castiel’s head snapped back up to meet Dean’s gaze. 

“It’s hard not to,” He deadpanned. Dean seemed taken aback, before flinging his head back and letting out one of the most beautiful laughs Castiel have ever heard. 

“If you’re trying to get in my pants, you’re gonna have to try harder,” Dean declared. Castiel is pretty sure that Dean meant it was a joke, but he felt like it was more of a challenge.

Old habits die hard. Castiel was a romantic at heart, and while personality wise Dean wasn’t his normal type, he was definitely more what he would need right now. He was kind, and helpful, and a good father. He thinks that, if he were to date now that he has Claire, he would definitely go for someone more like Dean. Someone who won’t run out, a part of his mind supplies.  
***  
Gabriel was looking at him expectantly when he stopped in to grab his morning coffee. Castiel hoped if he didn’t make eye contact, his brother wouldn’t bring up what he knew Gabriel was going to ask. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to dissuade his brother from prying.

“Hear your shit car finally gave out.” Gabriel held the coffee just out of Castiel’s reach.

“It did.”

“And you had to skip work.”

“I did.”

“And hottie neighbor came over and fixed it up for you.”

“He did.”

“Bet that was fun - I mean, it was a decently hot day yesterday, did he work with his shirt off?”

“Gabriel, give me my coffee.” Gabriel pouted, and Castiel rolled his eyes. “Gabriel, please give me my coffee.” Gabriel held out the coffee and took the ten that Castiel held out to pay.

“If you don’t ask anything more, you can keep all the change.” 

“I will forgo the six bucks in change and continue to pry,” Gabriel declared. “So, c’mon, something must have happened.”

“Dean fixed my car, I fed him lunch - a sandwich, before you start making jokes about my cooking-, and then he left and I did laundry. That’s all that happened yesterday.”

“Bullshit.”

“I may have spent about twenty minutes staring at his ass,” Cas confessed, deciding that if he told Gabriel something, his brother would shut up and give him his change.

“Y’know, Cas, sometimes you get to touch if you take ‘em to dinner,” Gabriel pointed out, handing over his change. “Ask him out - I’ll cancel my plans and watch Claire. Hell, I’ll watch his kid too. Just please, Castiel, go on a date. It’s been a year since Balthazar.”

“I’ll see you later, Gabriel,” Castiel said quickly, stuffing his change in his pocket. 

  
***  


“Did your car work today, Cas?” asked Dean, falling back onto the bench beside Castiel. Cas looked up from his book - Lazarus Rising, the result of when his father had gone on a religion binge and ended creating an angel storyline- and smiled. “Yes, you’re a miracle worker, Dean.” Dean smiled.

“Naw, just gotta know what you’re doing.”

“I could never do it.”

“I could never debate anything in court, so we’re even,” Dean flashed him a wide smile that made Castiel’s heart flutter a bit - like a teenager on their first date, only it was pathetic because Castiel is a forty year old man, and he shouldn’t feel that around his neighbor. “Something on your mind, Cas?”

“Have...have you dated, since you have Emma?” he asked, hoping that Dean didn’t feel like he was prying.

Dean looked a little taken aback by the question. “Well...” His tongue darted out, running along his lips. “I have - me and my housemate, Benny, we were together for awhile, and then there was Lisa, down the street, but...” Dean shrugged. “Dunno, never worked out. Thought it would with Benny - we’re best friends, and he adores Emma, but just...something didn’t mesh right, y’know?” Castiel nodded. “Why’re you asking? Someone catch your eye? ‘Cause, y’know, if so, then I could babysit Claire if you wanna go out. She’s a good kid.”

Castiel smiled, “If I were to ask out the person who has caught my interest, it would be difficult for you to watch Claire.” Dean furrowed his brow, before Castiel’s words clicked. His mouth fell open into an ‘o’, eyebrows raising up.

“Well...um...if that’s the case, then I’m free saturday night?” It was Castiel’s turn to be surprised, staring at Dean to see if he could find any sign that he was joking, before smiling.

“I wasn’t expecting that response,” he said. Dean shrugged.

“Well, it’s been awhile since I went on a date - maybe it’s time I give it a try again?” He smiled at Cas, winking. “And I’ve got a bit of weakness for baby blues.”

  
***  


It took until Castiel was cooking dinner to realize what he’d done.

He had a date. He hadn’t had a date since college.

He had no idea what he was going to do. 

  
***  


“Don’t worry, Uncle Cas, everything will go fine,” Claire declared as she climbed onto Castiel’s bed. She stood up, swaying precariously, holding out her arms to balance herself. “You’re gonna take him to dinner at that italian place, and then you could go on a walk in the park that’s across the street or whatever,” she reminded, reaching out and running her hands through his hair to straighten it. “I got Uncle Gabe to make your reservations.”

Cas chuckled, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you, Claire.”

“No problem. Now, you’ve gotta get going or Dean’s gonna think you’re standing him up.” Cas nodded, picking Claire up and setting her on the ground. 

“Be good for Gabriel, okay?” He said, walking out of the room with Claire on his heels.

“I’m always good.” She declared.

“Make sure Gabriel’s good.”

“I’m not a miracle worker, Uncle Cas.”

“I heard that!” Gabriel popped his head out of the living room. Castiel smiled at his brother.

“She needs to be in bed by nine, Gabriel. I’m sure you can handle feeding her. And make sure she takes a bath tonight.” Gabriel rolled his eyes.

“I know, I know, Cas. Now go out and have fun,” he ordered. “Claire will be fed, showered, and in bed when you get home.” Cas raised an eyebrow. He highly-doubted that Gabriel would actually put Claire to bed at nine. She’d pout and whine and he’d give in, and let her watch shows that Castiel definitely wouldn’t.

“Don’t burn my house down.” Gabriel mumbled something under his breath about how Cas was more likely to do that.

“Uncle Cas, you’re gonna be late for your date, go,” Claire pushed at Castiel’s back. “Go, go, go.” He smiled fondly down at his niece before grabbing his coat and walking out the door. He pulled on the coat as he walked across the lawns to the Winchesters’ house. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Dean had been the one to asked him out, he wanted to go on this date. Castiel had nothing to worry about.

“Gonna just stand there or you gonna knock, brother?” Castiel’s heart skipped a beat, turning around to look at the speaker. Benny was walking up the pathway, a box of pizza in hand. “Don’t be nervous - Dean’s about as nervous as you are. He likes you.” Castiel smiled.

“Thank you, Benny,” Benny slipped past him and pushed open the door. 

“No problem, sweetheart, now lemme go get Dean for you.” Castiel stood on the stoop, shifting from one foot to another. It only took a few minutes for Dean to step outside, looking a bit nervous and a little out of breath.

“Sorry, I was still getting ready - Emma was nagging me about my shirt. It seems she’s become a little fashionista these days,” he explained. “Wouldn’t let me leave until I changed.” Cas smiled.

“I think you look great, Dean,” he assured. “And I’m sure whatever you were wearing before looked just as nice.” Dean bit his lip.

“Thanks, man.” He readjusted his jacket. Cas held out his arm. 

“Are you ready for dinner?” 

  
***  


After dinner, Cas suggested they take a walk. It wasn’t what Dean anticipated, but he thought it was nice. The night air was cool, autumn leaves crackling in the trees. “Dinner was really nice,” he commented. “I had fun.” Cas smiled at him. Dean really liked that smile - pink lips just barely upturning.

“I did too. I’d like to do it again sometime.” Dean smiled.

“I’d like that too. I’d...uh, I’d like to go on a lot more dates with you, actually.” He stopped, looking down at Cas. The other man was practically beaming at that. He stood up a bit taller, and placed his lips against Dean’s. Dean let his hands fall down to rest on Cas’ hips. Cas pulled back, cheeks a bit flushed and lips parted.

“We...should get home,” he declared. Dean nodded, placing another quick kiss on Cas’ lips.


End file.
